


The Vigilante Type

by Katseester



Category: Samurai Flamenco
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Resolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 17:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katseester/pseuds/Katseester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I knew it. You're in love with Samumenco."</p><p>And with that, Goto starts a journey of self-discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Vigilante Type

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the longest oneshots I've written, which I guess goes to show how attached I've gotten to these dumb fictional characters. There's not nearly enough fics for them, and that kind of makes me sad. :/
> 
> Spoilers up to episode 15, would also recommend watching up to there before reading because I do that thing where I jump around between the canon.
> 
> EDIT: Alright, so canon kind of retconned a bunch of stuff in this in episode 19 so I guess it's technically an AU now! (Or, y'know, you can just read it as Goto having his issues, whichever.)

"I knew it. You're in love with Samumenco."

Mari's face is coloured with disappointment, and Goto barely has time to splutter out an indignant protest before she turns with a flourish and disappears.

"Ah, Goto-san, could you let me go now?" Masayoshi asks weakly from somewhere below his left shoulder.

He registers perhaps a second too late that he still has Masayoshi caught in his hold, and everything seems to shift uncomfortably against him as he moves to right himself. He tries to ignore his burning face.

"Right. We should - we should get going. I'll deal with all the paperwork, you can just. Get to bed." Or something.

_You're in love with Samumenco._

He tries not to think about it too much as he starts filling out a report.

\---

"So, you and Samumenco, eh," one of his younger coworkers says to him in a conspiratory manner as he's shrugging out of his jacket. Aragaki, he thinks it is. "I never took you to go for the vigilante type." He shrugs and winks, and Goto just stares at him in confusion until it finally clicks into place.

Of course there would be a video floating around.

"I have a girlfriend," he says, reaching into his pocket for his cell instinctively. "It's not like that."

"Sure, sure," Aragaki says, and then he winks again before patting Goto on the shoulder and heading for the coffee maker.

\---

It's closing in on midnight when Goto finally finishes the report for the Guillotine Gorilla fiasco. He grabs a beer from the fridge with the intention of forgetting the entire thing for at least the next six hours, but his phone lights up and plays that vaguely annoying ringtone he'd chosen for Masayoshi's number.

"Hi," Masayoshi says from the other end, quiet and a little shaky. "Sorry for calling so late. I couldn't sleep." Then, as if he's suddenly realized something, "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"I was just finishing up," Goto says, putting his unopened beer back in the fridge. "With my report."

"Oh." Nothing else, just, _oh_.

The silence stretches on so long that Goto contemplates grabbing that beer again, but then it's broken by this shaky little breath that crackles through his receiver and buzzes in his ear.

"Do you think you could...come over?" Masayoshi asks. "Just for a bit. It's just..." he trails off, unsure, and Goto kind of gets it.

It's not every day you see three people killed in front of you.

"Yeah," he says, staring at the second hand ticking away in the clock on the wall. "Be right there."

He barely hears the sigh of relief as he clicks his phone shut.

\---

Masayoshi doesn't say anything when he opens the door for Goto, just lets him inside and disappears into his darkened apartment. Goto finds him curled up under a blanket on the couch, watching an old VHS that he'd dug out from one of his closets. He scoots over a bit to make room for Goto, and throws the blanket over his lap when he sits down.

"Haven't seen this one before," Goto comments, shifting around until he's comfortable. "Harakiri Sunshine?"

Masayoshi nods almost imperceptibly beside him. "The first movie. It's set between the third and fourth seasons."

Goto barely pays attention to the action on the screen. He dozes off once or twice, and at one point a slight nudge to his side jolts him awake. The end credits are rolling, and Masayoshi has fallen asleep on his shoulder. He thinks about moving, rousing Masayoshi and sending him off to bed, but there are circles under Masayoshi's eyes and he's snoring so lightly that it sounds almost like a kitten that Goto ignores the growing numbness in his arm and leans his head back, closing his eyes.

He wakes up to weak sunlight filtering through the closed blinds and a dull heaviness resting across his torso. It takes him a couple seconds to remember where he is and why, but when he does he barely glances down before confirming that yes, Masayoshi is sleeping sprawled on top of him. The blanket is tangled somewhere around their legs, and Goto struggles for a moment to pull it free but ultimately gives up after he only manages to make it worse.

"Hey," he mumbles into Masayoshi's flyaway hair. "Wake up. I can't breathe." He tries prodding at Masayoshi's side, but there's no response, so he sighs and resigns himself to being crushed for the next little bit.

When Masayoshi _does_ wake up he does so very slowly, first stirring a little, then nuzzling further into Goto's chest (which elicits a weird little jump-stutter from somewhere around his sternum), and finally stretching out and yawning, nearly boxing Goto in the nose. He raises his head a little, blinking in the early-morning sunlight, brows drawn into a confused line, before noticing Goto just above his head and turning a magnificent shade of scarlet.

"I'm sorry!" he all but yells, springing back and tripping himself up in the blanket wrapped around his feet, crashing to the floor and nearly dragging Goto with him. "Ah, ouch..."

"Geez, you okay?" Goto asks, finally freeing himself of that pesky blanket and offering a hand to Masayoshi's prone figure.

"I'm fine, I think," Masayoshi groans, pulling himself up. His hand is freezing. He lets go too soon, standing and rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I should shower, and you need to work in a couple hours, don't you?" Goto checks the time. 6:43.

"Yeah, I'll let myself out." He tries not to think about Masayoshi showering, and almost succeeds.

"Thank you."

He's almost at the door, but he turns and sees Masayoshi standing in the middle of his living room as if he's not quite sure what to do with himself. Staring at the floor, worrying at the hem of his shirt with restless fingers. The tips of his ears are dusted pink.

"Yeah," Goto says slowly, suddenly not very sure where to look. "No problem."

Masayoshi smiles then, lifting his head and presenting Goto with a small, weak upturn of his mouth, and Goto can't stop staring.

"I'll see you later," he says absently, and nearly walks into the doorframe on his way out.

\---

He's back at Masayoshi's apartment again that night, carrying enough bruise cream to drown himself in. Or drown Masayoshi in, he's not picky.

"Thanks for this," Masayoshi says enthusiastically, wasting no time in shucking his shirt, flinging it haphazardly toward the couch and only missing by a foot or so. Goto nearly chokes on his tongue; the majority of Masayoshi's back is covered in a mottled expanse of blue and purple of varying degrees. His chest proves to be even worse when he turns to throw Goto a questioning look.

"You idiot!" Goto blusters, shooing Masayoshi onto the couch and nearly hitting him around the head with his shopping bag full of cream tubes. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?!"

"Ah, I forgot?" Masayoshi says sheepishly, scratching his nose. "I didn't notice it hurting until I showered this morning but by then you'd already left, so there was really no point - "

"You said there was _a little_ bruising. _A little_. This is not _a little_." Masayoshi tries to protest but Goto cuts across him, indignantly twisting the cap off a tube and smearing the pungent cream across his shoulder blades. "I don't know how you expect this stuff to work against - _that_ ," he continues, speaking over Masayoshi and gesturing violently at his back with the half-empty tube. "You're lucky to even be _alive_ , I don't know how you manage to do stuff like this but sooner or later you'll get yourself _killed_ and then - "

"Listen to me, please!" Masayoshi nearly yells, and it's enough to stop Goto in his tracks, rubbing a large dollop of cream onto a particularly nasty looking bruise just at the bottom of his ribs.

"It's fine," he says, twisting around to face Goto fully, and Goto has to struggle to keep his eyes leveled with Masayoshi's. "I feel fine, I'm just a bit sore. There's nothing to worry about."

"A bit sore," Goto parrots weakly. "You nearly had your ribs cracked and you feel _a bit sore_."

Masayoshi shrugs. "Here, I can do my front," he says, plucking the abused tube from Goto's hands and rifling around in the shopping bag at their feet for another one. He winces slightly upon straightening, and Goto shoots him a warning look, but he laughs it off and begins working the cream into his chest.

"I can't believe you asked for bruise cream," Goto says, almost petulantly. "Everything that happened, and you asked for _bruise cream_. Why didn't you see a doctor?"

Masayoshi shrugs again. "It didn't seem that bad," is all he says, and Goto's fingers twitch toward the abandoned bag on the floor. He almost mutters under his breath about stupid vigilantes and their stupid penchance for getting hurt. Almost.

"Ah, that feels a lot better, thank you!" Masayoshi says when he's done smearing the last bit of cream into his shoulder blades. He rolls his neck experimentally, reaches up to crack it, and suddenly the only thing Goto can see is the slight muscle shifting beneath his purpled skin.

"Right. Ah. Be more careful next time," he says absently, tying up the empty cream tubes in the plastic bag and throwing it in the general vicinity of the trash can.

It misses by about five feet.

\---

"He makes you happy, that much is obvious," his girlfriend says on the other end of the line when he tries to explain it to her. A sigh crackles through his receiver. "If he makes you happy, you should go for it."

And that's how it ends.

He doesn't really know how he feels about it, except maybe a little sad and maybe a little relieved. Sad, because she's quite possibly one of the best things to have ever happened to him. Relieved, because she's kind enough to understand.

"I still want my umbrella back, though."

Goto has to cover his mouth to muffle a laugh. He'll get it to her. Eventually.

\---

"How are you holding up?" He asks Masayoshi as he fills in the most recent monster's name on his report. Cuttlefish Cutter, or something.

Masayoshi shrugs. "I'm doing well," he says.

"Eating enough?" Crime: threatening safety of citizens.

"Mhmm." A slight exhalation of breath as he blows on his coffee.

"Anything besides curry?" He takes a sip of his own coffee and nearly spits it back out as it scalds his tongue.

Masayoshi hums in contemplation. "Not really."

Goto doesn't scoff. He wasn't really expecting a different answer. "Would you like to go out for dinner with me?" He tries to make it sound as nonchalant as he possibly can. Only stutters a bit on the first word.

Masayoshi doesn't answer. Goto pauses in writing and chances a glance up. Masayoshi is staring at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" he finally asks, slowly, circling his thumb around the curve of his mug handle.

Goto's not sure how much more clearer he can make it. "I was asking you out."

"Like...on a date?" Masayoshi is still fiddling with his mug handle, and it's all that's distracting Goto from shrinking under the table and disappearing, maybe forever.

"Yes." He takes a gulp of his coffee if only to stop staring at Masayoshi's hands.

Masayoshi doesn't mention that Goto only broke up with his girlfriend last week. He seems deep in thought, turning his mug this way and that in his hands, then sets it down deliberately.

"It's not like I haven't thought about it," he finally says, eyes fixed on the table between them. Goto's stomach drops. "I've thought about it a lot, actually. And it's not like I don't like the idea of it, either, it's just that - " Masayoshi gestures wildly and knocks over his mug, sending coffee spilling across the table and onto Goto's lap, effectively soaking both him and his report. "Ah - I'm sorry!"

Goto springs out of his seat and snatches his report up, but it's too late. The entire thing is a translucent shade of brown and the ink has started to run. "It's fine," he sighs, shaking the wet papers and sending droplets of coffee flying in every direction. He stops when he notices the clerk throwing him a dirty look as she approaches with a cloth.

"I'm very sorry about this!" Masayoshi says as she wipes their table down. She grunts noncommittally.

"Looks like I'll have to go pick up another one at the station," Goto mutters to himself, trying to ignore the uncomfortable wetness all down the front of his pants.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," Goto repeats, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket and rifling around for some money. "Here, sorry about the mess." He hands the clerk a bill and turns to leave. She grunts noncommittally.

He scratches the back of his head and wonders if he should go home and change first.

\---

The night starts out with a bag full of bruise cream and a couple beers, and somehow ends with Kaname and Harazuka (who showed up halfway through a slightly tipsy marathon session) going shot for shot as Masayoshi giggles incoherently into his palm and Goto watches in horror and confusion.

They somehow rope Masayoshi into their little competition, and then Goto, and before he knows it they are all adequately sloshed and hardly in the position to go home.

At one point Goto notices through the fuzz in his head that Masayoshi has wandered into the kitchen, so he follows him because he has nothing better to do. (And really, Kaname and Harazuka's rendition of the Red Axe theme is so horrible that escaping it is a mercy.)

They talk for a bit, about various things. Goto can't remember what any of the previous topics were; as soon as they shift gears into something new, whatever it was that was on their minds fades back into fuzzy obscurity, and all he can see is Masayoshi's slight smile, the curve of lips around his teeth.

"I don't think I've ever gotten this drunk before," Masayoshi says, slurs really, but Goto's not one to judge because he's honestly not much better off. He may have mentioned this before, but Goto can't remember.

"It's been a while since I've gotten this drunk," Goto says, because it seems like the right thing to mention, given the topic at hand. "Last time was college."

Masayoshi hums. "College, huh? I wonder what you were like in college..." he adopts a faraway expression, imagination clearly hard at work.

Goto cuffs him up the side of the head, then lets his hand rest somewhere at the nape of his neck. "Idiot, I wasn't very different."

"But it's you, so I want to know." Masayoshi smiles to himself, pleased and bashful. It seems like the kind of embarrassing thing he'd say even while sober, and because Goto's drunk he's oddly moved.

"You dumbass," he says instead of voicing his thoughts. His hand is still somewhere on Masayoshi's head, and he notes distantly that his hair is very soft. He makes a note to ask what kind of product Masayoshi uses, and then forgets about it because Masayoshi is _looking_ at him.

Kaname and Harazuka are passed out on the floor in the living room and Masayoshi's eyes have that familiar glint to them that hint at his excitement; he snatches Goto's sleeve and pulls him in for a scorching kiss that tastes of whiskey. Their teeth clack momentarily - Goto chalks it up to the alcohol - but after that he finds it surprisingly easy to kiss Masayoshi.

He presses forward and Masayoshi lets him, until he's backed up against the countertop and has one leg pressed between Goto's in a way that could turn awfully inappropriate should he move a certain way.

"Ah," Masayoshi says against his lips, because Goto's hands have unconsciously pressed against one of his bruises, and Goto grunts an apology as he shifts them lower until they're sitting comfortably at his hips.

Masayoshi sighs into his mouth, and Goto's not sure exactly when they started using tongue but he's not really opposed to it. It feels nice, and he can't remember the last time a kiss made him this damn _excited_ , but Masayoshi is doing a good job of making small sounds in the back of his throat that go straight to Goto's crotch.

He doesn't notice Masayoshi's hands working their way under his shirt until they're there, touching and feeling and making Goto shiver in a way that has nothing to do with the apartment's temperature.

"Goto-san," Masayoshi breathes, a little shakily, because Goto has moved to his neck, licking and sucking and leaving a distinctly dark mark against his pale skin. "I have a shoot tomorrow..."

Goto almost snorts because if Masayoshi can manage to drag himself out of bed tomorrow after that much whiskey then he'd give him a medal. Still, he lets Masayoshi draw him back to his mouth, and then they're kissing again, long and slow and lacking the intensity of the first one, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

"I'm very drunk," Goto says insightfully when he pulls away.

"Me too," Masayoshi agrees, leaning his forehead against Goto's shoulder and inhaling deeply. "You smell nice."

"I smell like whiskey."

"It's still nice because it's you."

Goto would be very embarrassed if he were sober. "Thanks."

He wonders what Masayoshi meant to say back at that cafe before he spilled his coffee and made them both forget about Goto's awkward invitation.

"I was going to say that I didn't know if I was ready for - this," Masayoshi says faintly against his collarbone. Goto realizes he spoke aloud.

"What do you mean?" he asks, because he might as well. That can of worms is open.

"I've never been in a relationship before," Masayoshi admits almost sheepishly. _Obviously_ , Goto wants to say, but manages to keep his mouth shut. "I didn't want to screw up my first one."

Goto sighs and drops his head against Masayoshi's. His hair tickles his nose. "You worry way too much sometimes, you know that?"

He expects Masayoshi to protest indignantly, but he doesn't, just laughs against his chest. "I'm tired."

"Yeah."

He has to stop Masayoshi from dropping down to the floor and sleeping right there, and he somehow manages to steer him into his bedroom to flop unceremoniously onto his bed, somehow getting dragged down with him.

\---

They wake up tangled together to the insistent ringing of Masayoshi's cell phone, located somewhere around the region of their legs.

"Agh," Masayoshi says, fishing blindly around until he procures the phone and draws it up to his ear. "H'lo?"

Goto can hear his manager screaming at him on the other end of the line.

Masayoshi is up so fast that Goto is surprised he doesn't fall right back down, stumbling out of the room and slamming the door to the bathroom seconds before he retches.

He somehow manages to shower, get dressed, and make himself presentable within the half hour, and by that time Goto has decided that he should probably get up.

"I can't believe you did this," Masayoshi complains, emerging from his closet and pulling his collar down to show Goto the mark he left. "How am I going to explain this to Ishihara-san?"

Goto feels kind of guilty, but the pounding in his head is leaving his sympathy a little contrived.

"Just tell her you were bit by a vampire bat."

"Like she'll believe that!"

Goto wishes Masayoshi would lower his voice. "What time is it?"

"9:30-ish." Masayoshi leaves the room and Goto can hear the faint sound of him brushing his teeth for the second time a couple seconds later. He's very glad he has the day off.

"And the other two?" he asks, shuffling over to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He ignores the intense vertigo this causes and focuses instead on how he's missing a sock.

"Still sleeping," Masayoshi calls from down the hall, a little muffled, followed by a spitting sound. He appears in the doorway moments later with a glass of water and a couple painkillers, and Goto thinks he might actually be in love.

"Thanks," he mutters instead of voicing this thought, swigging back the pills and then sipping at the water cautiously.

"Hey," Masayoshi says hesitently, perching beside him on the bed. "Um, about last night."

Goto doesn't want to think about last night, but his brain insists on remembering anyways, bringing back the feeling of Masayoshi's lips against his, the way he felt pressed against him, how soft his hair felt below his cheek.

His face is a delicate shade of red, spreading to the tip of his ears. It's cute.

"Well, how should I say this," Masayoshi mumbles, fiddling at the hem of his shirt and refusing to look anywhere but at the floor. Goto tries to prepare himself for the _I think we should just be friends_ that's about to follow. "Um...would you like to go out for dinner with me?"

Goto, caught while taking another cautious sip of water, nearly spits it all down his front, but manages to swallow, patting his chest and coughing. "What?"

"That's how you do it, right? You ask someone if they want to go out for dinner, or something..." Masayoshi is looking at him now, almost helplessly nervous, fingers nearly tearing the fabric between them apart.

"Um, yeah. That's how you do it. I guess." Goto doesn't mention that you should generally try it _before_ making out with someone, but he lets it slide, it being Masayoshi's first time and all.

"O-oh, that's good. So, so that means - " Masayoshi is slowly losing what little composure he has left, and Goto, feeling sorry for him, leans forward and kisses him.

"That means yes, I will go out for dinner with you, but we can figure out when after you're done with your shoot today," Goto says upon pulling back, ruffling Masayoshi's hair and smiling at his shocked expression. Masayoshi's face lights up almost immediately, and for a second Goto thinks he might throw his arms around him in enthusiasm, but just as soon as the smile is there it's gone again, and Masayoshi is left looking horrifyingly blank.

"Oh no," he says faintly, then springs up in alarm. "I'm late! Ah..." he clutches at his head momentarily, and Goto, chuckling, passes back the glass of water he'd been nursing.

A couple hours later Kaname and Harazuka both begin to stir from their positions on the living room floor, and Goto is intensely grateful that he never really was one to get sick while hungover.

\---

Dating Masayoshi is strange. On the one hand, not much has changed. On the other, what has changed is so drastic that sometimes Goto can't believe that he's spending the night ignoring a movie in favour of making out.

Masayoshi is learning the ins and outs of having a partner perhaps a bit too fast; the first time he presses his hand against Goto's crotch Goto nearly yelps in surprise, but then his dick is out and Masayoshi's touch is so damn good (if a bit clumsy) that before he knows it he's made a mess between them which Masayoshi seems surprised about. Goto nearly cuffs his ear. Instead he kisses him, slow and deep, and returns the favour.

He has to admit that he's never given anyone a blowjob before, but Masayoshi seems to like it just as well. The noises he makes should be _illegal_ ; they're enough to get Goto hard again before Masayoshi even comes, which is embarrassing enough, but the fact that Masayoshi is enthusiastic about it - and the fact that he doesn't even mind kissing Goto just after he had come in his mouth - just makes everything worse.

Still, lazing around all night and having sex is one of the better ways he could spend his time off.

By the time they progress to actual sex Masayoshi knows what Goto likes and where, and being the kind of guy he is he tries his hardest to make it good for both of them, which Goto kind of digs.

It's still awkward and sweaty and a little rocky at first, but they make it work. And when they _do_ make it work - well, Goto doesn't think he's ever felt so boneless before in his life.

\---

Goto doesn't know how the whole mess with King Torture managed to get this bad, but it did, and all he can think while barrelling down the tunnel is that Masayoshi doesn't stand a _chance_ and what would happen if he were too late.

The first thing he does after saving Masayoshi's ass is grab him by the shoulders and kiss him until they both can't breathe. The second thing he does is smack him upside the head, and then pull him into a bone-crushing hug while muttering incoherently angry strings of words into his shoulder.

And then King Torture wakes up despite the mannequin arm stabbed through his chest and Goto has to stop a missile from destroying the world as they know it.

When they meet up again, Goto deciding that he's going to retire ten years early, Masayoshi looking like he's _aged_ ten years, they both come to an understanding through a look that they're going to sleep for the next week, at least.

Of course, that doesn't happen, and Goto is left cleaning up the mess as Masayoshi is whisked away for some reason or other.

When he finally _does_ get home and to his bed, he feels like he could sleep for the next month, easily.

Masayoshi arrives at his apartment unexpectedly at two in the morning, and they sleep curled up together through the night and most of the next day, ignoring calls and texts because they're just too damn tired.

Goto wakes up before Masayoshi, which doesn't surprise him, and spends the next little bit just watching him; watching the way his chest rises and falls in slumber, the soft fall of his eyelashes against his cheeks, the way his face doesn't hold any of the strain he's felt for the last little while.

"'Morning," he says, when Masayoshi finally wakes up in that slow way he's become so used to.

"I think it's afternoon," Masayoshi mumbles, stretching out and rolling over to check the clock. He's right.

"Let's just stay here for a while," Goto suggests, wrapping an arm lazily around Masayoshi's waist.

"Didn't you have to work today?" Masayoshi asks, but doesn't move to escape.

"Called in sick."

"Mm." Masayoshi yawns, reaching for his phone. His face drains of all colour upon sliding it open. "I'm so dead." He shows Goto the screen. Twenty-seven missed calls from Ishihara.

"You can leave it 'till tomorrow," Goto says, but doesn't mention that yes, Masayoshi is indeed very dead.

"I have a meeting with Kaname-san later tonight," Masayoshi says, sliding his phone shut and leaving it on the bedside table. "But until then I can..."

The suggestion hangs in the air and Goto grabs it. By the time Masayoshi has to leave he's pretty sure he won't be able to feel his ass the next day.

"I'll call you when I'm done," Masayoshi says, fastening the last button on his coat. "If Ishihara-san doesn't kill me." He leans down and kisses Goto, lingering just a bit, and then he's gone.

Mari decides to move in that night.

\---

"You can't stay here for much longer," Goto says.

"Watch me," Mari says back, and then disappears into the bathroom. "I can be discreet. It's not like you have company coming over every night."

Goto wants to say that yes, he kind of does sometimes, but the last thing he needs is her lording that kind of info over his head. He grinds his teeth.

It's just his luck that Masayoshi stops in that night. He can almost feel Mari's ear pressed up against the closet door.

"How are things going?" he asks. Tries not to glance at his closet too often.

Masayoshi shrugs. "Okay, I guess." He settles himself between Goto's legs. "The other Flamengers still don't really respect me as their leader, but they'll come around."

He looks tired. "Yeah."

Masayoshi hums, leaning his head back against Goto's shoulder. "How was your day?"

Boring, uneventful. "It was okay."

"That's good."

They fall asleep there, in that uncomfortable position on the floor while the television drones on, and Goto is only awoken sometime later by the sound of the shower turning off with a clunk.

Mari exits the bathroom some few minutes later, throws him a look, and disappears back into the closet.

Masayoshi keeps sleeping.

\---

Mari is completely insufferable about it, as expected.

"'I have a girlfriend' my ass," she says as soon as she can get a chance to. "You were just trying to cover up the fact that you're interested in a loser like him."

"We broke up," Goto tries explaining. Mari doesn't listen.

"I can't believe it. Him? Really? I thought you had better taste than that."

Goto counts to ten.

"What do you even see in him? How can you even _like_ someone like him?"

Goto ignores her. She scoffs, and leaves for a shower. Goto reads the newspaper. Increasing unrest regarding From Beyond.

The doorbell rings. It's Masayoshi.

\---

They end up going to the park. They haven't seen much of each other lately. Incompatible schedules, and all.

Masayoshi's hand is cold, but it warms up in Goto's quicker than he expects.

"You need to buy a pair of gloves, you can't keep using me as your personal heater."

"I know." Masayoshi's smile is a little strained, a little sad. "It just seems like I haven't had the time lately, you know?"

"Yeah," Goto sighs, "I know." He's seen Masayoshi on TV a lot lately, but something just seems off. "Hey, congrats on that award, by the way."

Masayoshi jumps, like he was thinking about something else. "Oh. Yeah, thanks."

Idle chatter ensues, but Masayoshi remains just a little closed off, waiting for something.

"Hey, Goto-san?" he says, finally, when things look like they're wrapping up and Goto is running to collect his errant shoe.

"Hm?" he says absently, toeing the footwear back on. He waits, but Masayoshi doesn't say anything after. Instead, he approaches Goto slowly, like he's afraid he might run, and wraps his arms around his waist.

"What's up?" Goto asks, confused. Masayoshi just shakes his head, and heaves a sigh.

"Get a room," a random passerby shouts at them. Goto flips him off. Oddly enough, this is what makes Masayoshi crack the first real smile he's had all night.

"I love you," he says quietly, and Goto thinks that maybe he's misheard, but Masayoshi leans up, just a little bit, and kisses him for the first time in what seems like ages. It's slow, and soft, and full of everything Masayoshi hasn't said tonight, and it's definitely not appropriate for a public park.

"Yeah, me too," he says, dumbfounded, when Masayoshi pulls back. "I mean. I love you too."

Masayoshi smiles again, and it's tired, but it's not sad, and it's not strained, and it's so very real that Goto doesn't want to let him go.


End file.
